Mormons, Incest and Weird Car Crashes: The Sordid Saga of The 5 Browns, Utah's Version of the Von Trapp Family

Today's incredibly strange music story comes courtesy of the great fellow Western state of Utah. There once (back in the '90s) was a quintet of classical piano-playing siblings--the Mormon version of the Von Trapp family from Sound of Music, if you will. Three adorable girls and two adorable guys (now in their 20s and 30s). They played under the name The 5 Browns and they were coached by proud patriarch Keith Scott Brown. This week things took a turn for the weird, and by weird we mean Keith Scott Brown and his wife got in a bizarre car accident, after which the three daughters claimed they had been sexually abused by him, and today he's plead guilty to charges of sodomy and incest. The Salt Lake Tribune has the details:

Keith Scott Brown, 55, was charged with one count of first-degree felony sodomy upon a child and two counts of second-degree felony sexual abuse of a child. A sentencing was scheduled for March, but the agreement calls for 10 years to life on the sodomy charge and 1-to-15 years on each of the sex abuse charges. The sentences will run concurrently, said Deputy Utah County Attorney David Sturgill.

The charges indicate Brown engaged in sexual conduct with a child under the age of 14 between November 1990 and October 1992. Brown also sexually abused a child between March 1997 and March 1998, according to the charges.

On Wednesday, the group's three adult sisters publicly revealed that their father sexually abused them as children.

The Salt Lake Tribune generally doesn't name victims of sexual abuse, but in this case, Thomson said the sisters -- Desirae, 32, Deondra, 30, and Melody, 26 -- consented to the release of their identities.

A source close to the family told The Tribune the sisters called police after recently learning their father, who managed the quintet until 2008, planned to once again manage child musicians.

News of the charges came earlier this week following a single-car car crash involving Brown and his wife, Lisa.

The couple were hospitalized after the Porsche that Brown was driving plummeted 300 feet down a Little Cottonwood Canyon embankment and into a creek Monday night. Police have said Brown, who was driving his wife back from a Valentine's Day dinner at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, was driving too fast for the area.

The 5 Browns don't anticipate changes to their tour schedule, according to Thomson. The group is set to perform in Logan on Feb. 28 and March 1.

Get the Music Newsletter

Keep your thumb on the local music scene with music features, additional online music listings and show picks. We'll also send special ticket offers and music promotions available only to our Music Newsletter subscribers.